Which is saying, without saying so, that former coach Mike Holmgren is unlikely to return as poobah/potentate/majordomo of the franchise that Thursday jettisoned the president who helped usher out Holmgren.

Another matter that discourages a return is a belief around the VMAC offices that someone close to Holmgren leaked to media the idea last week that Ruskell already had been told he wasn't coming back after this season, causing a panicked Ruskell to force a decision now that Leiweke didn't want to consider until the season ended in a month.

If you saw the wet eyes and heard the quavering voice as Leiweke cut loose a personal friend and respected colleague in the middle of a work week in the middle of an already disappointing season, it wasn't a stretch to imagine he was as irked as he was sad.

"Tim was anxious about what the future would bring," Leiweke said. "He called the question, and it really forced us to say, 'OK, there's an important question on the table.' The answer was that we weren't going to extend Tim's contract."

Even though the possibility exists for a 9-7 finish, the record to date of the last two seasons spoke louder -- 19 losses and eight wins, four of which were over the woeful St. Louis Rams. For a suspicious sort like Ruskell, the lack of certainty beyond the Jan. 3 finish was too much.

He had to know, more than he had to finish what he started five years ago.

The pressure was apparent Thursday in his face, voice and bearing. He didn't have to meet the media -- a chore he indulged grudgingly during his term -- but manned up and answered every question thoroughly.

The departure did not include a victory lap around Qwest Field, as was provided Holmgren after a 4-12 season. At a staff meeting that followed the press conference, however, he was accorded a rousing ovation that was, according to witnesses, filled with tears and hugs.

Mora was not present, but as passionate as he is, the tears and hugs probably came Wednesday, when Ruskell gave him the news in the office.

"Tim's a good man and a good football man," said a stoic Mora after practice Wednesday. "I'm disappointed it didn't work out better. We've had a nice history together."

Ruskell worked with Mora in Atlanta and went to large trouble to hire and keep him here before naming him head coach-in-waiting to succeed Holmgren. For 11 months, owner Paul Allen, Leiweke, Ruskell and Mora were on the same page: With people you know and trust, build a team in which the defense can carry the offense.

That was the opposite of Holmgren's page, which was good enough to get to a Super Bowl. Neither way is right or wrong. Each emphasis has won Super Bowls by playing to strengths that help cover weaknesses.

The key is to commit to a direction and stick with it.

Based on Leiweke's words Thursday -- he made at least three endorsements of Mora -- the accent on defense will be maintained. That was buttressed by the elevation of Ruston Webster from vice president of player personnel to interim boss of football ops.

Webster worked for 18 years at defense-first Tampa Bay before joining Ruskell, his former Bucs colleague, four years ago in Seattle. He since has interviewed twice for GM jobs, finishing second for the post in Tennessee. He figures to be a candidate for the permanent spot here.

Webster is one among a class of low-profile, well-regarded football executives who will form a stark contrast to Holmgren, a certain Hall of Fame coach who is one of the few sports personalities who honestly can be said to be larger than life.

The organization has to answer two questions about Holmgren's candidacy for football boss:

Is he the best person available to evaluate and acquire premier talent?

Will he or Mora be the face of the franchise?

Tough questions.

Just as Holmgren is smarter now than when he wore both the GM/coach hats during his Seattle tenure, the Seahawks are better off now than when he was hired in 1999.

The Seahawks hadn't won a playoff game since 1984 and were desperate for the cred Holmgren brought, much in the way the hire of Lou Piniella as manager brought a measure of legitimacy to the Mariners in 1993.

Both teams rode their charismatic leaders to competitive and business success, complete with new stadiums. Each man moved on by choice, leaving behind a legacy of franchise relevancy.

As the Mariners proved this year with general manager Jack Zduriencik and manager Don Wakamatsu, familiarity and/or popularity is irrelevant to winning. And neither man had to be the face of the franchise, not with Ken Griffey Jr. and Ichiro around.

From a standpoint of player profile, the Seahawks have a popular quarterback in Matt Hasselbeck, who still has a majority of his bones unbroken, and that's about it. Mora is and will be The Man, unless of course he is the man, lower-cased by HOLMGREN.

The current front office football staff is almost split between Ruskell hires and Holmgren hires. That usually doesn't make a practical difference -- except when there's a vacancy at general manager, when it becomes every man for himself.

Holmgren has offered his admiration of the job Bill Parcells has in Miami, where he is king of football without having it muck up his life. The difference is that Parcells was an outsider who had neither pets nor pet peeves in the Dolphins organization.

Reinserting Holmgren into a franchise that has already changed direction is a move full of jagged edges. Then there's the pragmatic possibility that it won't take, subjecting the one-time hero to contemporary scorn.

Except for some players who can't forget his profanity-filled rebukes, most everyone in Seattle likes Mike. There's only one guaranteed way to keep it so.

The Seahawks will find someone to join them. They don't need to join Holmgren.